Golf ball dispensing device

ABSTRACT

An embodiment includes an apparatus that includes a storage portion and a delivery portion coupled to the storage portion. The delivery portion has a first portion for dispensing articles. The first portion includes a cap portion rotatable about an axis and defining an egress region having a storage side and a delivery side. At least a portion of at least one of the articles is selectively in contact with the cap portion. At least a portion of the cap is selectively the topmost portion of the apparatus

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/759,143 filed Jan. 13, 2006, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technical field relates to storage and dispensing, and more specifically to an apparatus and method for delivery of golf balls.

BACKGROUND

Ball dispensers are used for many purposes. Typical ball dispensers, such as ball dispensers for golf balls, require multiple steps to operate, require both hands, and/or involve multiple moving parts in order to dispense an individual ball. Many golf ball dispensers cannot be readily adapted for use in a golf bag because the ball is not dispensed at the top of the dispenser, and/or the operating mechanism may not be accessible when the dispenser was placed in a bag. When multiple moving parts are incorporated, often the operating force is undesirably increased, and the possibility of a mechanism failure is increased.

Additionally, many ball dispensers are oversimplified to the extent that one or more balls may be dispensed inadvertently when, for example, a golf cart drives over an obstacle, causing a vertical jolt to the dispenser, or when a golf bag is placed on the ground during play or bag transit. Other oversimplified dispensers may allow the balls to be undesirably directly exposed to the environment. What is needed, is a reliable, simplified dispenser that may be operated with minimal force and with minimal manipulation requiring little more effort than the effort required to lift a ball.

SUMMARY

An embodiment includes an apparatus that includes a storage portion and a delivery portion coupled to the storage portion. The delivery portion has a first portion for dispensing articles. The first portion includes a cap portion rotatable about an axis and defining an egress region having a storage side and a delivery side. At least a portion of at least one of the articles is selectively in contact with the cap portion. At least a portion of the cap is selectively the topmost portion of the apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings, preferred illustrative embodiments are shown in detail. Although the drawings represent some embodiments, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated, in partial cut-away, removed, or partially sectioned to better illustrate and explain the present invention. Further, the embodiments set forth herein are not intended to be exhaustive or otherwise limit or restrict the claims to the precise forms and configurations shown in the drawings and disclosed in the following detailed description.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the dispenser, taken from a different view than the view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the dispenser of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the dispenser of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the dispenser of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view of a portion of the dispenser of FIG. 1

FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view of a portion of the dispenser of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of the dispenser of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view of a portion of the dispenser of FIG. 1

FIG. 10 is a partial sectional view of a portion of the dispenser of FIG. 1

FIG. 11 is a view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 6, with the article removed for clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a golf ball storage and delivery apparatus 20. The apparatus 20 includes a tubular portion 22 having a distal end 24 and a proximal end 26, a loading device 28, and a delivery portion 30 coupled to the proximal end 26. In the embodiment illustrated, the tubular portion 22 further includes a generally cylindrical wall 32 defining an axis A-A, a longitudinal slot 34 formed therein, a biasing member 36 (seen in FIG. 2 only) interposed therein, and a delivery portion engaging surface 38 (FIG. 6) formed at the proximal end 26. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a plurality of articles 40, such as golf balls 42, may be interposed within the tubular portion 22, as discussed in greater detail below. Also as illustrated in FIG. 1, the tubular portion 22 is shown as formed of a transparent material, although embodiments that do not incorporate transparent materials are also envisioned.

The slot 34 extends generally longitudinally between an upper end 44 and a lower end 46 along the tubular portion 22. In the embodiment illustrated, the biasing member 36 is a coil spring providing a desired minimum delivery force, represented generally at F, although other embodiments may include a variable force coil spring, or no spring, if gravity were desired to provide a delivery force, such as the delivery force F. As best seen in FIG. 2, the distal end 24 includes an end cap 48 attached thereto.

As best seen in at least one of FIGS. 3-7, the delivery portion 30 includes a cap 50 and a collar 52. The cap 50 includes a generally hemispherical first portion 60, a tab stop 62 extending therefrom, a pair of collar coupling portions 64, and a tapered edge portion 66. The first portion 60 is generally defined by a generally hemispherical first surface 70 and a generally hemispherical second surface 72 defining a generally constant thickness T therebetween. The first surface 70 preferably has a spacer 76 attached thereto, as discussed in greater detail below. Each collar coupling portion 64 includes a collar pin 78 extending away from the first portion 60 and generally defining an axis B-B. The tab stop 62 has a neck stop surface 80, an edge stop surface 82, and a peripheral edge 84.

As best seen in FIG. 6, the first portion 60 generally defines a center point C. That is, the center of the first and second surfaces 70, 72 is about at the center point C. In the embodiment illustrated, a plane (not illustrated) bounded by the tab stop 62 preferably intersects the center point C.

The collar 52 includes a generally cylindrical tube mating portion 90, a neck portion 92, an egress portion 94, and a pair of cap mounting portions 96. The tube mating portion 90 has an outer grip surface 100, an inner tube mating surface 102, a generally annular lower edge 104, and a generally annular upper edge 106 defined, at least in part, by a beveled surface 110. The tube mating portion 90 may have mating threads on the inner tube mating surface 102 to attach the collar 52 to the proximal end 26 of the tubular portion 22, or other suitable attachment means may be used.

The neck portion 92 extends from the upper edge 106 and is defined, at least in part, by a pair of mounting reinforcement ends 112, 114, a generally hemispherical inner surface 116, a generally hemispherical outer surface 118, and a collar tab stop edge 120. The egress portion 94 extends from the upper edge 106 between the cap mounting portions 96. The cap mounting portions 96 extend from the upper edge 106 and interconnect the mounting reinforcement ends 112, 114 with the egress portion 94. Each cap mounting portion 96 includes an outer cap mounting surface 126, a pin guiding surface 128 formed thereon, and a pin aperture 130, defined by a generally cylindrical surface, formed therein.

For comparison purposes, FIG. 4 illustrates the apparatus 20 with only one golf ball 42 contained therein, where FIG. 5 illustrates the golf balls 42 to include a first golf ball 140, a second golf ball 142, and a third golf ball 144. Each of the golf balls 42 have a generally spherical outer surface, although non-spherical articles 40 may also be used with the apparatus 20.

As best seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the center of rotation C of the cap 50, along axis B-B, is about in the same location as the center G of a ball, such as the first golf ball 140. The cap 50 is rotatable between a fully closed position, wherein the edge stop surface 82 of the tab stop 62 is in contact with the upper edge 106 of the collar 52, and a fully open position, wherein the neck stop surface 80 of the tab stop 62 is in contact with the collar tab stop edge 120. While the cap 50 is described herein as being rotatable between a fully closed position and a fully open position, the cap 50 need never be in either the fully closed position or the fully open position to operate as desired. An exemplary operation will be described herein referring to an open position and a closed position that are not necessarily the same as the fully open position and the fully closed position.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, and with brief mention of FIGS. 1-6, the loading device 28 is illustrated in greater detail. The loading device 28 is illustrated to include a handle 150, a support bar portion 152, a ball urging portion 154, and a spring contacting portion 156. Preferably, the loading device 28 is molded into a unitary piece of a thermoplastic, although any suitable material may be used. As illustrated, the handle 150 partially circumscribes the cylindrical wall 32 and is coupled to the support bar portion 152. The support bar portion 152 is interposed through the slot 34 and attaches to both the ball urging portion 154 and the spring contacting portion 156. The ball urging portion 154 contacts at least one of the articles 40 and is coupled to the spring contacting portion 156. The spring contacting portion 156 is biased by the biasing member 36 away from the end cap 48 and toward the delivery portion 30, thus urging articles 40, when present, toward the cap 50, as discussed in greater detail below.

The handle 150 may partially encircle the tubular portion 22 as illustrated, or may fully encircle the tubular portion 22, as desired. The support bar portion 152 is generally rectilinearly moveable within the slot 34 from the upper end 44 to the lower end 46. As will be appreciated, a user (not shown) may grasp the handle 150 when the apparatus 20 is in a desired configuration, such as the unloaded configuration of FIG. 2, and exert a force, generally opposing the force F and greater than the force F, in order to translate the loading device 28 from an expended position, as illustrated in FIG. 2, to a load ready position, as illustrated in FIG. 8.

To briefly describe the operation of the apparatus 20, the cap 50 is rotatable relative the collar 52, from a generally closed position as illustrated in FIG. 3 to a generally open position as illustrated in FIG. 4, generally about the axis B-B, to deliver an article 40, such as the first golf ball 140. As the cap 50 is counter-rotated from the open position to the closed position, the second golf ball 142, if present, will load into the cap 50 due to the force F exerted by the biasing member 36, as discussed below.

An exemplary operation of the apparatus 20, in greater detail, is as follows. The collar 52 is detached from the tubular portion 22 and the loading device 28 is translated to the load ready position of FIG. 1 or 8, as described above. The loading device 28 may be locked relative the tubular portion 22 in the load ready position, or may be held in place by the user. The user may then insert a desired amount of the golf balls 42 into the proximal end 26 of the tubular portion 22. The collar 52 is then coupled to the tubular portion 22, such as by threading the tube mating portion 90 onto the proximal end 26, with the cap 50 preferably in the closed position. The loading device 28 is then released, thereby allowing the biasing member 36 to force the golf balls 42 toward the first surface 70. In this manner, the apparatus 20 may be loaded with golf balls 42, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3, 6, and 8, with the first golf ball 140 partially interposed within the cap 50, as best seen in FIG. 6.

With the cap 50 in the closed position and the first golf ball 140 partially interposed therein, the force F is transferred through the first golf ball 140 to the cap 50 and from the collar pins 78 to surfaces of the pin apertures 130 of the cap mounting portions 96. This transfer of force may prevent the cap 50 from inadvertently rotating.

To dispense individual golf balls 42, a user will ensure that the cap 50 is in the closed position of FIG. 3, or rotate the cap 50 to the closed position. Then, a user may rotate the cap 50 from the closed position toward the open position of FIG. 5. Rotation of the cap 50 toward the open position will involve the second golf ball 142 counter-rotating with the first golf ball 140 and/or sliding relative to the first golf ball 140. As the cap 50 is further rotated from the closed position, the first golf ball 140 may rotate with the cap 50. Also as the cap 50 is rotated from the closed position, the edge portion 66 contacts the second golf ball 142, as best illustrated in FIG. 9. In a first intermediate position of the cap 50 illustrated in FIG. 9, inadvertent rotation of the cap 50 is resisted by the force F. That is, rotation of the cap 50 from the position of FIG. 9 toward the open position will require that the second golf ball 142, and at least a portion of the biasing member 36, be translated slightly toward the end cap 48, thereby requiring that the force F be overcome. From the first intermediate position of the cap 50, further rotation of the cap 50 toward the open position will result in a transfer of the force F through the second golf ball 142 from the first golf ball 140 to the cap 50. In this manner, the cap 50, and the collar pins 78, will resist the force F, and the force F is no longer transferred through the first golf ball 140.

As the cap 50 is further rotated as described above from the first intermediate position to the open position, the edge portion 66 of the cap 50 is interposed between the first golf ball 140 and the second golf ball 142. In this manner, the first golf ball 140 is separated from the remainder of the golf balls 42. Further rotation of the cap 50 toward the open position will involve the second golf ball 142 counter-rotating with surface 72 of the cap 50 and/or sliding relative to the second surface 72. When the cap 50 is fully rotated to the open position, as seen in FIG. 5, the first golf ball 140 is exposed and may be removed from the cap 50. In contrast, and as best illustrated in FIG. 9, the first golf ball 140 cannot be removed from the cap 50 when the cap 50 is in the first intermediate position.

To remove the first golf ball 140 from the cap 50 when the cap 50 is in the open position, the first golf ball 140 may be grasped and lifted, or may be rolled out of position by placing a finger (not shown) on the first golf ball 140 adjacent the edge stop surface 82 and applying a slight force to urge the first golf ball 140 toward the beveled surface 110. As the first golf ball 140 contacts the beveled surface 110, the first golf ball 140 will guide along the beveled surface 110 and out of the cap 50. Thus provided, the delivery portion 30 selectively permits an article, such as the first golf ball 140, to be removed from the cap 50 when desired with a single finger of a user.

As the first golf ball 140 guides along the beveled surface 110, the thumb (not shown) of the same hand as the aforementioned finger may be placed adjacent the upper edge 106 of the of the collar 52, permitting the first golf ball 140 to be grasped between the finger and the thumb when the first golf ball 140 contacts the thumb. In this manner, an article, such as the first golf ball 140 may be removed from the cap 50 and readily held with a single finger and a thumb.

Since the first surface 70 of the cap 50 and the adjacent outer surface portion of an article, such as the first golf ball 140, are both generally hemispherical, the spacer 76 positions the first golf ball 140 slightly away from the first surface 70 thereby providing for ready retrieval, as the mating hemispherical surfaces are not allowed to develop any undesirable suction attachment, such as is commonly associated with mating hemispherical surfaces, especially when wet.

The cap 50 may remain in the open position, or may be rotated to the closed position after the first golf ball 140 has been removed. The cap 50 may remain in the open position, due to the frictional contact between the collar pins 78 and the surfaces of the pin apertures 130, until the user desires to return the cap 50 to the closed position.

As the cap 50 is rotated from the open position to the closed position after the first golf ball 140 has been removed from the apparatus 20, the second golf ball 142 will rotate relative to the second surface 72 of the cap 50 and/or slide relative to the second surface 72. As the cap 50 is rotated further from the open position, the edge portion 66 will guide along a surface of the second golf ball 142. Further rotation of the cap 50 toward the closed position will result in the second golf ball 142 moving away from the end cap 48, and the cap 50 being in a self-closing position, generally represented in FIG. 10. In the self-closing position, the force F exerted through the second golf ball 142 to the cap 50 at the edge portion 66 is sufficient to rotate the cap 50 further toward the closed position without the user applying any force. When the cap 50 has rotated such that a sufficient distance is provided between the edge portion 66 and the tubular portion 22, the force F provided by the biasing member 36 will cause the second golf ball 142 to load into the cap 50.

As the second golf ball 142 loads into the cap 50, the biasing member 36 forces the article 40 toward the first surface 70 such that the second golf ball 142 may impact the spacer 76, if provided. In this manner, the spacer 76 provides a cushioning stop for an article, such as the second golf ball 142, in addition to positioning an article for ready retrieval.

Therefore, the apparatus 20 may be operated with a single hand or finger to expose a golf ball 42, thereby permitting the user to conveniently grasp a ball when desired. Additionally, the illustrated embodiment provides a delivery apparatus that requires only movement of a single member (cap 50) in order to deliver an article. Furthermore, the embodiment described allows an article 40 to be exposed for retrieval in a single step (rotating the cap 50).

Generally, a golf ball of a standard size may have a diameter of between about 42.67 and 43.67 mm. When used with a standard size golf ball, tubular portion 22 preferably has an interior diameter d (FIGS. 6 and 7) of between about 47 and 50 mm, with a diameter of about 48 mm most preferred. Also preferably, the first surface 70 and the second surface 72 are at least semispherical.

The wall 32, when generally transparent, may permit a user to visually inspect the articles 40. Additionally, other portions of the apparatus 20, such as the cap 50 and handle, may be constructed of transparent materials to aid a user when visually inspecting interior portions of the apparatus 20, when desired.

In other embodiments, the apparatus 20 may have a cap 50, but may not have a distinct collar, such as the collar 52, but may have a pair of cap mounting portions, such as the cap mounting portions 96, formed at the proximal end 26, and may include a neck portion, such as the neck portion 92, and an egress portion, such as the egress portion 94, formed thereon. In an exemplary embodiment, such as the described embodiment without a distinct collar, an alternate entry way for articles 40 may be incorporated into the apparatus 20.

The biasing member 36 is preferably formed of an electrostatically coated carbon spring steel formed into the shape illustrated in FIG. 2. Additionally, the biasing member 36 may provide a force F that varies with spring displacement, such as a spring that has portions with differing spring constants and/or diameters in order to provide a differing spring force depending on the number of articles 40 retained within the tubular portion 22. As will be appreciated, the force F, as generally illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7, 9, and 10, may not be the same amount in differing configurations, depending on the resultant forces interacting on the wall 32, and the total force provided through the ball urging portion 154.

With reference to FIG. 1, the end cap 48 and the tube mating portion 90 each preferably have an attachment head 158 extending therefrom. The attachment heads 158 may be coupled to apertures or vertical slots formed in a mounting surface, such as a mounting surface of a golf cart (not shown). In other embodiments, the apparatus 20 may not have attachment heads 158, but may be intended to slide within a tubular slot within a golf bag (not shown). The end cap 48 and the collar 52 are preferably a composite such as a rigid thermoplastic.

The collar 52 is preferably sufficiently flexible so as to be readily deformed such that the minimum distance D between the cap mounting portions 96 increases so as to be greater than the width W (FIG. 11) of the outermost portions of the collar pins 78. In this manner, the cap 50 may be constructed of a relatively rigid material while being capable of easy replacement or exchange as desired. Also, the collar 52, if constructed of a material sufficient to flex as described above, may be reinforced by the proximal end 26 when coupled to the tubular portion 22, thereby preventing the collar 52 from deforming sufficiently so as to detaching from the cap 50, when the delivery portion 30 is in an installed configuration.

Additionally, as best illustrated in FIGS. 4-7, the first golf ball 140 prevents undesired distortion of the first portion 60 of the cap 50 due to the relatively small clearance between one of the golf balls 42 and the first surface 70. As will be appreciated, this limited distortion may be sufficient to prevent the collar pins 78 from converging sufficiently to detach the cap 50 from the collar 52.

In an alternate embodiment, the apparatus 20 may be operated with the proximal end 26 at a lower elevation than the distal end 24. Furthermore, the apparatus 20 may be inverted with the proximal end 26 directly below the distal end 24, or with the proximal end 26 at about the same elevation as the distal end 24, while operating as described. The biasing member 36 may not be required when the apparatus 20 is inverted.

The spacer 76 may be a layer of felt that is adhered onto the first surface 70, or may be overmolded onto the first surface 70 as the cap 50 is molded of a relatively resilient polymer, and the spacer 76 is molded of a softer polymer. In this manner, the spacer 76 will cushion the impact of an article 40 as the article 40 loads into the cap 50. In other embodiments, the spacer 76 may be molded of the same material as the cap 50, thereby simplifying manufacture of the dispensing apparatus 20.

In another embodiment, the spacer 76 may be overmolded onto the first surface 70 of the cap 50 with a polymer, such as a photopolymer, that retains an ink or dye for transfer. In this manner, the spacer 76 may also be formed with a raised template 160, such as shown in FIG. 1, where the template 160 may incorporate any image, words, or corporate logo. Additionally, the second surface 72 may be embossed or have any image, words, or corporate logo imprinted thereon by any suitable means.

The preceding description has been presented only to illustrate and describe exemplary embodiments of the methods and systems of the present invention. As presented, the prefix ‘hemi’ is taken to mean ‘a portion of’ and the prefix ‘semi’ is taken to mean ‘about exactly half of’, which would be exactly half, or as close as practicable. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to any precise form disclosed. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims. The invention may be practiced otherwise than is specifically explained and illustrated without departing from its spirit or scope. The scope of the invention is limited solely by the following claims. 

1. An apparatus comprising: a storage portion; and a delivery portion coupled to the storage portion and having a first portion for dispensing articles, the first portion including: a cap portion rotatable about an axis and defining an egress region having a storage side and a delivery side, wherein at least a portion of at least one of the articles is selectively in contact with the cap portion, at least a portion of the cap is selectively the topmost portion of the apparatus.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cap portion generally defines a hemispherical surface and the axis intersects about a center point of the hemispherical surface.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the hemispherical surface selectively contacts a surface of the article.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cap portion generally defines at least a semispherical surface.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the article is defined, at least in part, by a generally spherical surface.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage portion selectively retains a plurality of the articles.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage portion selectively directs a delivery force, and the delivery force is provided by a coil spring.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cap portion retains the article in the storage portion.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cap portion separates a desired article from other articles.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the articles selectively prevents distortion of the cap portion. 